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Calling all outdoorsmen and women: Here are twenty-six neighborhoods perfect for taking in the scenery whether you're skiing, hiking, boating, or even clamming

Mountain View, Roanoke, Virginia

A few minutes' drive southwest from downtown Roanoke, picturesque Mountain View is perfectly located in every respect: It's a cinch of a commute and enjoys stunning panoramas of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Roanoke River. It's no wonder residents of this neighborhood spend so much time outdoors. Retirees and families enjoy soaking up the scenery along the area's Roanoke River Greenway, a 5.5-mile paved path perfect for walking, running, and bicycling. When wintry weather moves in, the arty locals flock to the city's galleries or mountainside wineries, or enroll in dance, music, and other "personal enrichment" classes at the Fishburn Mansion, a National Historic Landmark and community-life hub. Factor in the forty or so classic old homes—built between 1884 and 1924 to house an onslaught of railroad-industry execs—that line Mountain View's streets, and you may just have the ultimate Roanoke Valley settling spot.

The HousesThe neighborhood's housing stock consists predominantly of two-story American Foursquares, along with occasional Queen Annes and bungalows. A renovation movement is on the upswing, and prices and conditions run the gamut. If you're low on cash and high on motivation, a two-story handyman special can be scored for about $35,000. Higher-end options run between $100,000 and $200,000, and are often fully renovated with preserved original details, such as pocket doors and ceramic tile.

Why Buy Here?You'll get a much-needed tax break. In an effort to keep Mountain View's revitalization clipping along, preservation societies, such as the Virginia Landmarks Register, have secured significant tax exemptions for home buyers who restore historic structures—the more you sink in, the more you save.